Page 4 of The Christmas Blueprint

But she would be there.

Killian’s pep talk stuttered to a stop.

Nope. Not much of a bright side.

Still, he took the familiar exit into verdant rolling hills and farmland sleeping through the approaching winter. The light rain, which had showered on and off for the past seven hours, kicked on again—of course it did. But a promise was a promise, and he’d already broken one to a friend where he could never, ever get a do-over.

His phone buzzed with a text from Hunter.

How far out?

He looked at his GPS. He hadn’t wanted to leave Seattle, but by timing his departure to avoid the worst of the I-5 traffic clogs between Seattle and Olympia and then Portland to Wilsonville, he’d made decent time. Even he didn’t dread Bear Creek enough to idle in traffic for hours.

He told Hunter fifteen minutes. Their plans to meet had been loose. He’d yet to tell his sister he was temporarily moving back to Bear Creek. Not cool. Nothing against Riley. He adored her unfiltered personality and enthusiasm. It was just that he was her older brother. He should be moving up the corporate ladder, not taking a detour while she had seized the reins of the family business and had giddyupped to the next level of success.

Bear Creek held so many memories he really didn’t want to face. Yet here he was hitting his hometown just as dark descended.

He tried and failed to not read any symbolism into that.

Hunter asked him to pick up something for dinner and meet him at his sister’s house. He texted the address, and less than half an hour later, Killian pulled up to a droopy but picturesque farmhouse off a dirt road. The house was surrounded by fields, and had a shop and faded white wood barn not too far away.

Killian was shamed at the relief he felt at this final delay. He wasn’t ready to drive down Bear Creek’s small main street, maybe run into someone he knew and then text Riley that…surprise…he was back.

It was dumb to delay the inevitable, but Riley would read so much into his homecoming, and then he’d disappoint her by telling her he already had one foot out the door. He’d rather have a beer with a friend before that reunion happened and the questions started.

When had he become such a coward?

Hunter sauntered around from the back of the house as soon as Killian turned off his truck. A young girl followed him, a pink tool box in her hand. She wore snow boots although there was no snow and a bright red puffer jacket with the hood pulled up.

Wow. A kid. A daughter. Killian couldn’t even imagine what it must have felt like for Hunter to find out he was a father nearly a decade after the birth. Killian hadn’t begun to think of a wife or family yet, but even he knew a woman keeping a secret like that was all kinds of wrong.

He was furious on Hunter’s behalf and had no idea how to act.

The kid was why he was back in Bear Creek.

He swallowed his nerves and swung open the door and jumped out.

“What’s it’s like to be back?” Hunter hurried forward, hand out.

Killian pulled him into a tight hug, to hell with a handshake.

“Don’t know. You’re my first stop. It’s great to see you.”

“Thank you for coming,” Hunter’s voice was tight with emotion. “Thank you so much. Lisa’s move back’s been delayed again.”

“No problem.”

“You got the job with the city, right? You get to work on the development project?” Hunter pulled away; his anxious gaze scanned his face.

He’d told Hunter about the Zoom interview with city council member Jennifer Nevens while the mayor Jeffrey Bane had been traveling in Europe with his fiancée, who’d ended up leaving him somewhere in Italy. Killian grinned in the face of Hunter’s concern. He slapped his back a couple of times.

“Nailed it,” he said, flying his cocky like a part-time, temporary gig in a sleepy town that most tourists drove by on their way to Ashland’s Shakespeare Festival, Jacksonville’s Peter Britt Music Festival, and the many wine-tasting rooms in the Rogue and Applegate Valleys, was an accomplishment.

“The grant funding for the job kicks in at the first of the year, but I’m going to use December to get a jump start and familiarize myself with the area’s changes, and the potential first project on the docket for thecity,” he emphasized the word cheerfully and without sarcasm. There was only one large pending project that Jennifer Nevens had indicated. “And I’ll probably get roped in to helping Riley with some holiday madness. My sister loves Christmas schemes.” He winked at the little girl who stared at him.

He stepped back from Hunter. “Going to introduce me, Dad?”

Dear God, he was still reeling from Hunter’s dismayed phone call a few weeks ago. How must Hunter be feeling?

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